


The Power Of Love

by Blue_Night



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confessions, Despair, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Forgiveness, Hope, Kissing, Love, M/M, Making Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Talking, Trust, broken trust, hopelessness, sorrow and regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:34:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6579571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate ending to GoForGoals' amazing work 'Loss of innocence', beginning after the end of chapter two. Marco asked Erik to come to his hotel-room to talk to him and sort things out, but Erik didn't show up. Marco made a decision after waiting for him and is about to sign a contract with a new club when Marcel calls Erik and tells him about it. Will Erik change his mind and talk to Marco? And if he does, will Marco listen to him or will it be too late to fix their damaged relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Loss of Hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Loss of innocence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529144) by [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/pseuds/GoForGoals). 



> My dear GoForGoals, here you can see how much your works inspire me, this is the second story I simply had to write because of your amazing story Loss of innocence. I hope you don't mind me messing with your fic, but I wanted to write a sequel dealing with the fifty-percent chance that Erik would not come to Marco's room and the way it could yet lead to a happy ending, finally. The title already says it: true love can overcome everything and for you and me, Durmeus is true and pure love.  
> I also wanted to write and post it before knowing your third chapter, I hope you won't mind that, either.
> 
> My dear readers, this story can of course be read as a stand-alone, but it doesn't really make sense without having read 'Loss of innocence', so if you haven't read my dear friend's heartbreakingly and beautifully written story, you should read it first to know what happened before chapter one of this story.
> 
> This story is pure fiction and also includes the hope that Marco and Erik will play in France together and maybe even win Marco's first title together. We will know in a few months.
> 
> As always, your feedback would make me incredibly happy, so please, leave something for me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik has missed his chance to sort things out between Marco and him after that fateful night when Marco almost took his virginity, and when he finally tries to talk to him, there seems to be no hope left that they will ever be able to fix the damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all about lost hope and missed chances, but at least, Erik and Marco talk. Maybe, their talk will change something even though it seems as if Erik had made up his mind too late.

Erik doesn't come to him. Marco waits the entire night for him to show up and give him the opportunity to talk to him and try to fix the worst damage, but the younger one doesn't give him the chance to do so, the damage that has been done obviously too serious to ever be fixed again.

Marcus waits and waits, and when he finally realizes that Erik won't come to him, he curls himself up in his bed, feeling a cold and numbness in his bones he has never felt before, even not during the last ten days, because back then, he has had at least the slight hope that Erik would listen to him. This hope has been taken away from him now, and Marco lies in his bed, wide awake but emotionless, staring blindly out of the window until the sun slowly rises over the horizon, a deep-red glowing ball that burns the last shreds of the hope he has still had somewhere deep inside him with its blood-red rays hurting in his tired eyes.

When he gets up again, he has made a decision.

 

***

 

Erik can't forget the difference between the two victories, the one only a couple of weeks ago when he was still the hopeful and innocent young man ready to conquer the world and face every hardship coming along his way as long as Marco would be his silent hero and be by his side, smiling at him, laughing and celebrating with him.

But, he isn't the innocent and hopeful young man he has once been any longer, but only a broken creature, shattered into a million pieces by Marco's carelessness, and this second victory within two months actually tastes like a defeat, bitter and stale. Marco isn't smiling at him anymore, he doesn't laugh with him, and he stays away from him as far away as possible. Erik knows that this is because he didn't come to him on that night when Marco had put the note into his pocket, but he simply couldn't do it, too afraid of what Marco would tell him.

Erik knows that the older player is sorry, he can see it in his eyes, and he believes him. But, going to him and talking to him would have meant to hear Marco saying that he is sorry but also that the blond doesn't love him, and Erik knew that hearing him saying this would have broken him, completely. He knows that Marco doesn't love him, but knowing something and hearing the beloved one saying it out loud are two entirely different kind of things, and Erik wouldn't have stand it. The power of love is the greatest power of all, and this even more when the love one feels is not returned.

So, he stayed away from Marco and didn't come to his room, and the next morning, Marco's back was straight and his eyes were impassive every time he couldn't avoid Erik and had to look at him.

Erik knows that it is better this way, the damage too big to even think of trying to fix it. Maybe, he will get over his heartbreak one day even though he truly doubts that. He has lost his innocence and his hope and nothing will ever bring either of them back, no matter how much he wishes that things would be different.

Without Marco, this victory means nothing to Erik, and his tears everyone takes for tears of happiness are actually tears of grief and despair. When he looks at Marco, he sees tears on the blond's pale face, too, and something tells him that Marco's tears aren't tears of joy, either, but he doesn't go to him to hug him like Marco had done it after their first title they had won together, knowing that it is already far too late for that.

 

***

 

“Marco decided to leave the BVB because of you, Erik. He's on his way to his agent to fix the deal!” Marcel's voice sounding through the speaker of his phone is hard and leaves no doubt about the fact that this isn't a joke, at all.

Erik blinks, trying to digest not only the fact that Marcel has called him pretty early on this Sunday morning, but also that Marco's best friend knows what happened between them. Erik didn't tell anybody about that horrible night, even not Matze, but Marco obviously did tell his best friend about it, and Erik is sure that he made it look as if it had been only the brunet's fault.

“And what makes you believe that he wants to leave because of me?” he inquires, his voice as hard as Marcel's has been, but he can't hide the slight trembling. “Did he tell you that I am the reason for his decision?”

“No, Erik, he didn't. Despite of what you apparently think of him: Marco would never do such a thing. But, I am his best friend and I have eyes in my head, Erik! I noticed the way he looked at you over the past weeks and the way he flinched when only your name was mentioned. I can see how devastated and desperate he is ever since he has finally won his first title, and I know him well enough to see that it must have something to do with you. Not to mention your looks and behavior ever since that first victory. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know that he made his decision because of you, to spare you his sight and his presence in the future. Marco's willing to leave his home for you and whatever happened, he's blaming himself for it. If you have still any feelings left for him, Erik, please go after him and keep him from destroying his own future for your sake, I'm begging you!”

 

***

 

Erik remembers Marcel's words as he drives to the place where Marco will fix the deal with his new club, silently praying that he won't be too late. He doesn't know what he's feeling, but Marcel pulled him out of his paralyzed state and made him realize that he can't let Marco go without having at least tried to talk to him beforehand. He owes the blond that much, and he owes himself that much.

The drive seems to take forever, but then, he's finally there, rushing out of his car and to the building where Marco's agency resides in, and He's ringing the doorbell several times as if the devil was chasing after him. When the door opens, he runs through the corridors and straight into the office without giving anyone the chance to say something to his unexpected, sudden appearance. He looks around, wildly, and when he sees Marco, he steps closer, ignoring the blond's agent and the other men sitting in the room, and says, totally out of breath:

“I need to talk to you, Marco!”

 

***

 

Marco leans against the wall next to the door of the empty office he has withdrawn into with Erik, watching the younger one with his lips pressed to a thin line. “Marcel informed you.” It isn't a question, only a statement. Erik nods his head, pacing up and down before the desk opposite the door.

“Yes, he did, and I'm grateful he that he told me about your decision, because I really need to talk to you,” Erik answers, looking at him, pleadingly.

Marco's gaze hardens. Ever since that horrible night, Erik avoided his eyes, and when he had to look at him, his own eyes had been lifeless and emotionless. He didn't give Marco the chance to talk to him, to apologize, neither the next morning after that night, nor when Marco had put the note into his pocket. And now, when Marco is willing to leave and spare Erik his sight in the future, when he has finally accepted that his deed is unforgivable, the man he has obviously hurt that cruelly 'needs' to talk to him all of a sudden?

Marco has suffered as much as Erik has done, but the younger one didn't seem to care about Marco's suffering, blaming him and condemning him, and Marco blamed and condemned himself just as much as the brunet has done. He isn't sure whether or not he's really willing to listen to Erik now after that long time that has passed without only single word of forgiveness coming from the younger one.

But, Erik's eyes beg him to listen to him, and Marco sighs when he realizes that he probably owes both of them to hear the brunet out. Marco crosses his arms before his chest to protect himself and nods his head. “Okay, I'm listening, Erik.”

Erik bites his lips and casts his eyes down. “I'm sorry that I didn't come to you when you asked me, Marco. I simply couldn't. I wasn't ready to talk about what had happened on that night and to deal with the memories again. We needed to focus on the Euros, and I had no strength left for such a talk.” He looks up again, his eyes begging Marco to understand him.

Marco stares back, his face impassive to hide his inner turmoil. “And after the Euros, you still couldn't deal with it, Erik? Not until Marcel told you what I was about to do? Why can you deal with the happenings now of all times? Because you fear that the BVB will lose a valuable player? Did you ever think about how I felt after that night, Erik? I wanted to apologize to you, I would have begged for your forgiveness on my knees! I never meant to harm you, how could I have known that you are still a virgin? There was no sign – no word of that, Erik! You simply sent me away when it became obvious, and I did what you had told me to give you some time to recover. The next day when I came to your room, you were gone and when I texted and called you, you didn't answer to me. I waited for the Euros to get another chance to talk to you and apologize, and when I asked you to listen to me on the very next opportunity I had gotten, you refused to even give me the chance! I feel like a damn rapist ever since that night, something I would never do! I lie awake every night and if I yet manage to fall asleep, I wake up from a horrible nightmare in which you lay underneath me, screaming and writhing in pain. I know that I hurt you, and I am more sorry for what I did than you will ever know, but did you ever consider the possibility that you hurt me, too? That I could suffer just as much as you do?”

Erik has paled and he looks horrified. Marco isn't sure whether it is because of the memories he has recalled or because of the realization that he isn't the only victim in this terrible mess both of them have made out of their lives without ever meaning to.

“I didn't know that, Marco,” is all he can whisper, and Marco sighs.

“Of course, you didn't, Erik. But, you would have known if you had only given me the chance to talk to you! Do you really think that I am some kind of monster using other teammates for my own ugly desires without caring about them? Do you really think that little of me?”

Erik swallows. “No, I don't think that. But, I knew that it wasn't really me you wanted, Marco. You were full of adrenaline and endorphin because of your first victory, and you simply needed someone to share your joy with. You used me because you knew that I had feelings for you, but you didn't really care about me, it could have been anybody else!” he bursts out, and now, it is Marco's turn to pale. He stays silent for one moment, gathering his thoughts and then, he opens his mouth and says:

“That isn't true, Erik. At first, when I embraced you after the final whistle, it was simply because you were the one standing next to me, but when I asked you about your room-number, it was you I wanted to ask and not anybody else. Besides, you used me just as much as I used you.”

His quiet words cut through the air, making the younger one flinch as if he had been stabbed by a knife, violently. Erik gulps for air, and Marco's heart aches for him, but his silence and his behavior have hurt him, deeply, and the other one simply needs to finally know the truth.

 

***

 

Erik can't believe his ears. How can Marco accuse him that he has used him? He was the one who suffered the most after that night, wasn't he? Marco doesn't love him, no matter what he says about having wanted him, and he didn't behave back then as if Erik had been more than only a quick and available fuck for him.

“How can you say that? In which way did I use you?” he whispers, rubbing his arms in the attempt to stop his trembling.

Marco's eyes darken with regret and he looks tired, exhausted and old.

“You didn't tell me that it was your first time, Erik. You only told me when it was too late and when it hurt you too much to go on, when the damage had already been done. You could have told me on several occasions before I tried to take you, but you didn't. Shall I tell you the reason why you didn't?” Marco pauses for one moment in his relentless retelling of that night and when Erik simply stares at him, he continues to speak.

“Because you had a crush on me for ages and wanted to finally lose your virginity. You thought that this would be your only opportunity to get me into your bed and let me be your first man like you had craved for for so long. You knew that I mistook you for much more experienced but you didn't correct my mistake and you didn't tell me the truth. You didn't give me the chance to make your first time a truly wonderful experience because you feared that I would leave you if you told me that you are still a virgin. You think that I wanted to sleep for you for some selfish reasons? You are right with that, Erik, at least partly. At first, I might have wanted just one pleasurable night but I know for sure that you trusting me enough to tell me that you had never slept with anyone before would have made a difference. I would have been different. But, you were just as selfish as I had been, and you didn't give me the slightest chance to prove to you that I really care about you, neither before things went all wrong, nor after that.”

Marco goes silent, and Erik can't deny the truth of what he has said any longer. The blond is right with what he has accused him of, Erik has used him as much as Marco has done, and if he had been honest to both of them, things had turned out to be different.

“I'm so sorry, Marco.” he croaks out, too desperate to even cry.

The older player looks as exhausted as Erik has never seen him looking beforehand, and his movements are the movements of an old man as he nods his head. “Yes, I know, Erik. I am sorry, too. More than I can express in words. But, it's too late for that, I guess. I think it best to leave the BVB and give you the chance to start anew without me near you. I wish you all the best for your future, Erik, and that you will find someone being worthy to be your first man and worthy of your love. It is obvious that I am not this special someone. Please believe me that I never meant to hurt you this way.”

Marco turns around and opens the door to leave him like he has left him on that fateful night.

Erik stares after him, and his words are a desperate plea as he watches the man he still loves so much disappear behind the door.

“Marco, please, don't leave me again! I love you!”

But Marco is already gone, the door closing silently behind him.


	2. Gain of Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Erik have talked, but Marco has left him. Is there really no chance left for them to find their way back to each other?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want you having to wait for too long, sweetie, so here is chapter 2 of the work you inspired me to write. Another talk between Marco and Erik, and I really hope you will like it. Chapter 3 will be about what you love the most when it comes to Durmeus, I will hurry, I promise you. :-)
> 
> My dear readers, thank you so much for reading this story and leave kudos and comments, please keep it up and let me know if you liked the second chapter, as well. :-)

Erik doesn't know how he has found his way back home, but when he becomes aware of his surroundings again, several hours after his talk with Marco, he finds himself lying curled up into a tight ball on his couch, the cushion his head rests upon soaked with his silent tears.

'You were too late, you were too cowardly to talk to him when you should have, You fucked it up, again!' The thoughts hammering behind his temples repeat themselves in an endless loop and Erik presses his hands against his ears in the weak attempt to stop the hammering.

It doesn't work, of course, because he can hear his inner voice mocking him even louder than before.

“Marco, please, I love you,” he whimpers into the falling darkness, new tears streaming over his face. How shall he go on with the guilt of having deterred Marco, having chased him away from his beloved club, his home? His heart clenches painfully and for one moment, Erik truly believes that he will die because his heart must have broken today.

The doorbell echoing in the dark and except for his whimpering silent room makes him jerk up and almost fall down from the couch. He sits up, his breathing ragged and too fast, and he can't move one single limb as he stares at the front door he can see from his seat.

There is a long pause but then, the bell rings again, longer this time. Erik starts to shake. Who can that be? Marcel wanting to beat him because Erik is responsible for him losing his best friend?

“Erik? Please, let me in. I know that you are there.” A knock on his door, and the voice he has heard is definitely not Marcel's voice but Marco's. What is Marco doing here? And who has let him in the apartment building so he could make it upstairs to his front door to knock on it?

“Erik, please.”

The brunet stands up against his will, moving like a puppet pulled on its strings and stalking to his door on wobbling legs, and his teeth clatter loudly against each other. Erik needs three attempts to open his door and when it finally swings open, he has to lean against the frame to not lose his balance.

“Erik? What the heck... you look like shit!” Marco pushes himself through the rather small slit between the shaking young man and the halfway opened door, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and guiding him back to his couch after slamming the door shut with one foot.

Erik's head is spinning with dizziness, and he is sure that his eyes and his ears are playing tricks on him. Maybe, he has caught a bad fever and is hallucinating? Marco can't be really there, can he? He told him this morning that he will leave Dortmund and the BVB, that it would be the best for both of them if they never saw each other again, and he didn't turn around when Erik called after him and told him that he loves him, so why should Marco bother to come to him tonight? He has made it clear that Erik has been too late with his tries to explain his silence and his apology, so why should he want to talk to him after signing his new contract? It is pointless now, isn't it?

Marco gently lowers him down on the couch, frowning when he notices the dark and wet spot on the cushion. “Oh, Erik,” he sighs sitting down next to him, close enough that Erik can feel his body heat warming his side, but without touching him. “What have we done?” he inquires, but it is a rhetorical question not really demanding an answer from his younger teammate.

Former teammate. Erik couldn't answer to that question even if it would not have been a rhetorical one, because he searches for that answer for weeks by now and yet still doesn't know it.

For a rather long time, neither of them speaks, Erik staring down at the carpet while Marco is watching him from the side.

Eventually, the silence becomes unbearable. “What are you doing here, Marco?” Erik doesn't recognize his own voice, but it must have been who has asked this question, because Marco doesn't need to ask it, being the one already knowing the answer.

“I couldn't do it.”

Marco's gaze burns a hole in his cheek, but Erik can't bring himself to look at him. “You couldn't do what?”

“Sign the new contract. Not after what you had said.” The blond still doesn't touch him, but he moves a little bit closer. “Tell me, Erik, is it really the truth?”

“What?” Erik knows what Marco means, but he simply has to be sure.

“That you love me.”

Erik swallows. He's still staring at the carpet, his vision blurred because of the tears threatening to fall again.

“Yes.” Only the faintest of a whisper.

Marco has heard it, nonetheless. “How can that be after what I did to you?” He sounds disbelieving, but there is the tiniest spark of hope in his voice.

Erik shrugs his shoulder. “I don't know. I loved you right from the first moment we'd met, and I will probably always love you, no matter how long I'll live.” It is most likely not very clever to admit that, but Erik can't bring himself to care about it any longer. He needs to finally say it out loud, and he needs Marco to know about his feelings. It is freeing to eventually say it out loud, and Erik takes a deep breath and raises his head to meet the blond's questioning eyes.

“Apart from that, you were right, Marco. I used you just like you wanted to use me, and if I had been honest to both of us, things would perhaps have been different. It was the lack of trust that made me stay silent when I should have talked to you.”

Marco's gaze travels over his blotchy face as he tries to understand what Erik means. “But how can you say that you loved me then, Erik? Love without trust isn't possible!” he objects, sounding confused and desperate. “Even more, how can you say that you still love me? I betrayed and hurt you in the most horrible way possible, and yet you asked me not to leave you because you love me? How can that be?”

Erik swallows. Marco has asked him the same question like he has done a couple of minutes ago, only packed in another description, and after weeks of struggling and thinking, the penny finally drops. The answer is as obvious as it is simple, and Erik can't believe that it has taken him so long to realize the truth. If it wasn't as sad as it actually is, it would almost be funny.

Only that Erik can't really laugh about it. He smiles, but his smile is sad and full of regret.

“It wasn't you I didn't really trust, Marco. I didn't trust myself. That's why I didn't tell you.”

 

***

 

Marco stares at Erik with a dropped jaw. “What do you mean with that, Erik? You didn't trust yourself?” He has no clue what Erik is talking about, and he feels even more confused now than he has felt before Erik has finally given him an explanation.

“I don't know how to explain it, Marco. You told me that it would have made a difference if you had known about my virginity and I believe you, but in that night, I didn't know that. All I knew was that you wanted to share your happiness about your first title with someone – okay with me – and yes, you probably wouldn't have minded me being a virgin. But I didn't trust myself enough to tell you about it because I feared that I wouldn't be able to hold myself back and that I would become pathetic and confess my undying love to you. I didn't trust myself enough to tell you this secret without spilling all of my other secrets to you, as well, that I would tell you that I always dreamed of you being my first man and that I wanted to spare myself for you. I didn't trust myself enough that I would be able to tell you that I am still a virgin without begging you to love me back.”

Erik goes silent, licking his lips while he gazes at Marco from underneath his eyelashes, uncertainly. Marco tries to digest what the brunet has told him, and he digs his nails into his palms to keep himself from wrapping the beautiful young man sitting next to him, heartbroken and as vulnerable as one can only be and yet so strong and brave, into his arms and hold him tight until the trembling wrecking him will finally stop.

“You didn't trust yourself to be lovable and desirable any longer if you didn't play the role of the tough, experienced and carefree cool guy, Erik? Is that what you're trying to tell me? That you believed that you are not likable the way you are but only if you fulfill some 'expectations' you think others might have about you? I might have had?” The blond inquires, and Erik nods, silently.

“I see.” Marco is too stunned and dismayed to say more to this revelation.

Erik worries his lip again and Marco instinctively reaches out with his hand to stroke over the swollen, red spot that has formed upon his bottom lip.

“Honestly, Marco. Would you have stayed if you had known about my feelings for you? Being my first man might have been okay with you, but knowing that I love you and that I of course hoped for a repetition? Would you have stayed knowing this?” Erik's voice is hoarse and scared, but his eyes beg Marco to be honest with him, and Marco knows that he deserves his honesty now more than ever.

“I knew how you felt about me, Erik. I knew about your feelings for a rather long time before that night. But, you might be right that you telling me that you love me might have scared me. But, it would have been the right thing to do, nevertheless. I don't know if I would have left you, but, you didn't give me the chance to make this choice. You didn't give me the chance to prove to you that you can trust me because of the lack of trust in yourself. You are lovable and desirable, Erik. You are wonderful and special and I simply couldn't leave the BVB – leave you - without asking you to give me a second chance. I wanted to go because I thought that I had ruined everything that might have been between us, ruined your love for me, but when you called after me that you love me, I realized that I had to ask you for this second chance. So please, tell me, will you give me this chance?” He has cupped Erik's cheek without noticing it, but when Erik presses into his touch, Marco's heart starts to beat faster. Maybe, it isn't too late to gain the younger one's trust again and prove to him that he is serious about that?

“Do you really want to try it again? To sleep with me?” Erik whispers, his voice giving away his awe and wonder about the fact that Marco still wants him.

Marco shakes his head, and Erik flinches and tries to pull away, but Marco doesn't let him. “No, Erik, I don't want to just sleep with you. I want to do it right this time. I want to prove to you that even though I didn't really know about my own feelings for you in that night, that it was yet you I wanted to be by my side, you and only you, Erik. I want to gain your trust and I also want you to learn to trust yourself, and I want us to take our time to get to know each other. Really get to know each other. I want to get to know the Erik behind the footballer. I want to know about your dreams and your hopes and I want to tell you mine. I want to spend time with you and learn about the things you like and the things you don't like and I want you to do the same. I want to take you out for dates and I want to simply enjoy your company. I want to know what makes you smile and what makes you think and cry. This time, I want to court you, Erik. And if you'll let me court you, maybe one day, I will be worthy your trust and also worthy to be your first man and get the greatest gift you have to give. Your virginity, your trust and your love, because these three wonderful gifts belong together and can't be offered on their own without the other two.”

Erik blinks, and a shy but happy smile spreads out on his pale face, a smile that finally brings the beautiful golden sparks back into his eyes. Marco's heart misses a beat and then, starts to race. The blond didn't know how much it had scared him that Erik's eyes had lost their wonderful sparkling until now and he has to swallow against the sudden lump forming in his throat.

“You really want that? Give me one more chance after the many I've missed during the last weeks?” Erik's voice trembles, but this time, it is the good kind of trembling.

“I want to give _us_ one more chance. We have both made mistakes and missed so many chances, but you still love me, as miraculous as this actually is, and I love you, too, Erik. I really do. It took me far too long to realize that, but I do, and I want to prove to you that I am interested in you and not only your beautiful body. I am interested in the wonderful person you are and not only your looks. Please tell me, Erik, do you want that, too?”

“Yes, yes I want that, Marco. I can't believe that you really love me, but I love you, too!” Erik laughs and cries at the same time and when Marco pulls him into his lap, he doesn't flinch away but wraps his arms around the older one and snuggles close to him. Marco can feel that he's still tensed and wary despite the relief and happiness he feels, and he knows that it will take some time until Erik will lose his wariness really trust not only Marco but also himself and his own worthiness to be loved, but a start is made and that's all that counts at the moment.

Only time will tell whether or not their second try was in vain, but they love each other, and the power of love is the greatest power of all, and Marco believes in the power of their love more than he has ever believed in anything.

Gaining Erik's trust will make him happier than any title or victory could ever do, Marco now knows that for sure and becoming the sweet young man's champion, the man Erik trusts more than anybody else, will be the most important title Marco has ever striven for.


	3. Love makes the Difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Erik has talked again and agreed to give each other a second chance. Will Erik really learn to trust not only Marco, but also himself and become ready for Marco finally taking his virginity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last chapter of the story you inspired me to, sweetie. Knowing how much you love first times especially when it comes to Durmeus, I did my very best to make their second try a wonderful experience not only for Erik and Marco, but also for you to read. I hope that I succeeded. There is also not only one first time, but two (or three, depending how one looks at it). :-)
> 
> My dear readers, my lovely GoForGoals is a sucker for romantic first times with much love, and this chapter here is shamelessly romantic and fluffy and hopefully also sexy. Enjoy reading it and please let me know if you liked it!

_Three months later:_

 

It is a wonderful, warm and sunny early autumn-Sunday when Erik realizes that Marco has been right with what he has said about that they should take their time. On that beautiful Sunday, they come home after a stroll through the park they have visited oftentimes during the last months, and Erik looks at Marco's from their walk rosy cheeks after closing the door behind them and knows that he is ready.

He looks in Marco's sparkling amber-golden eyes and knows that the older one has been right with what he has said about love and trust belonging together. During the last weeks, the blond has courted him like he had promised him to do on that evening after their second talk, and Marco has proved to him more oftentimes than Erik can count that he truly loves him and that he is interested in the man Erik is and not only in his body.

Marco has listened to him when Erik has told him about his fears and his worries, attentively and understandingly, and Marco has never laughed at him or called his worries stupid and ungrounded. Sometimes, he has told him that there is nothing to worry about, at all, but he has always taken Erik's feelings serious and never given him the feeling that Erik is overreacting. He has listened to him and – more important – he has told Erik about his own worries and fears, about his despair he has felt after each injury that he would never win a title and always be the one missing chances. He has told him about his problems to accept his orientation – something Erik has accepted far easier after realizing that he will never be the one craving for a wife in his late teenage years – and he has told him about his heartbreak after Mario had left Dortmund and about his determination to only have sex with other men in the future without deeper feelings being involved.

It was only the previous night when they lay cuddled up on Erik's couch that Marco told Erik about that, and Erik was touched by the blond's trust in him because he could sense how hard it was for Marco to admit that. The older one might be far more experienced when it comes to having sex, but he is somehow much more inexperienced when it comes to being in love with someone than Erik, and the brunet found himself thinking about Marco's words during their walk the entire time.

And now, he stands there in Marco's hall and looks him in the eyes, and he can feel his worries and his doubts melting away. Marco has gained his trust like he wanted to, and he has helped Erik to win back his trust in himself like he has promised to do, as well.

They have dated, talked, laughed and cried like real couples do, and they have learned much more about each other within the last three months than they have learned within the three years before their fateful night when they almost destroyed their lives. Now, it is about time to try it again and make the best out of their second chance.

It is time for Erik to lose his virginity and time for Marco to learn how it feels to make love to somebody instead of just having sex with another man. The older one surely is a skilled lover, Erik could sense it back then in that horrible night despite his pain and fears, but there is a huge difference between being a skilled lover and being a man deeply in love, and Erik wants to gift his virginity to the man being in love and not the skilled lover.

Today, he will finally get the chance to do that.

“Are you hungry, handsome? I could make us something to eat.” Marco's question pulls Erik out of his rapturous staring. The midfielder who renewed his contract with the BVB after his second talk with Erik three months ago smiles at his younger teammate, friend and beloved one, and Erik can see that Marco is really talking about food without any second thought behind his question. They have dated and kissed so far, but their caresses have never gone further than stroking each other's naked chests and backs under their clothing, and Marco seems to be perfectly fine with that.

Erik isn't fine with that any longer. “Yes, I am hungry.” His voice has dropped several octaves, and the expression on his face and the look in his eyes leave no doubts that Erik is not talking about filling his stomach.

“Uhm, you are?” Marco has obviously a hard time believing that this is truly happening.

Erik steps closer, invading the blond's personal space. “Yes, very hungry.” Marco's insecurity shows in his eyes, but the older one doesn't try to hide it and play the cool guy. They are past playing roles and pretending to be someone they will never be for a rather long time by now. Playing roles and pretending to be someone they are not has almost crushed them and ruined their lives, and on that evening, when Marco has come to Erik and asked him for a second chance and a new start, they promised each other that their future relationship will always be based on honesty and trust, no matter how this relationship will finally turn out to be: only a professional one, friendship or true love.

Erik still feels insecure himself, but not because he isn't ready for letting Marco take his virginity on this wonderful sunny Sunday-afternoon. His insecurity is the uncertainty every human being will always feel before this important step, and it is not overwhelming and scaring, but only one emotion among a lot of others: desire, anticipation, happiness, love and trust. Trust in himself and trust in Marco.

“You sure?” Marco licks his lips and his voice is hoarse and trembling. The Marco standing before him doesn't resemble the cool guy who tried to seduce him after having won his first title only the slightest, but Erik likes this new Marco much better, because he can see that the Marco standing before him and gazing at him in awe and wonder truly loves him while the Marco from the night almost five months ago had only desired him.

“Yes, Marco, I am sure. I am finally ready,” he says, bridging the remaining distance between them and laying his lips gently upon the lips of the man he loves with all his heart.

 

***

 

They have made their way to the bedroom holding hands and smiling at each other, and before Marco's bed, they have undressed each other with greatest care. It has felt so different from that night when Marco had been full of adrenaline and endorphin, incapable of thinking straight and realizing what he was about to do to the wonderful young man he has already loved back then without knowing it.

This time, the undressing part has been a careful act, and their love and trust in each other they have gained over the past weeks have helped them to let it be a real and good start of the forthcoming, important and hopefully pleasurable things. Erik hasn't backed away and he hasn't become shy and uncertain like Marco has feared for one moment, because it is one thing to rip each other's clothing from their bodies in the heat of passion when the room is rather dark, and a completely different kind of thing to do it when the sun is shining through the window and nothing except for one deep kiss has happened so far.

But, Erik surprises him like he has surprised Marco so many times since they have started to date, because he stands there before Marco's bed and lets him take in the sight of his body without becoming shy, and Marco realizes once more, that Erik has never been self-conscious and shy about his body, but only about his personality. Erik didn't fear that Marco couldn't desire his body, he knows that he is handsome and attractive without being conceited. No, his sweet young boyfriend feared that Marco wouldn't desire the real Erik his physical beauty is only the outer package of, and this was what made him lie to Marco and lie to himself about being ready to sleep with him and offer his virginity to him this careless way.

“You're so beautiful, love, your body as much as your mind and your soul,” Marco whispers, his eyes caressing the brunet's youthful, lithe body like his hands will do very soon, as well. They are naked except for their briefs they're still wearing because Marco wants to show Erik that making love is not only about cocks and fucking.

Making love. This is as much Marco's first time as Erik's, and this time, he won't be that careless and fuck it up by seeing only the beautiful body without caring about the person inside that body. The body is only the shell, and without Erik filling it with his love and his wonderful personality, the shell is nothing.

Erik smiles at him. “You're beautiful, too, Mars.” A strong wave of emotion rushes through Marco when he hears Erik using his nickname for the very first time. So many first times today, and each one of them is as important as the others.

Marco steps forward and takes Erik in his arms, their bodies touching gently but in full length as they kiss, tenderly and slowly. The blond knows his boyfriend's mouth by heart after three months of kissing sessions on their couches, but every single time he kisses Erik, Marco finds something he hasn't known before. This time, it is the way Erik is purring as he claims his mouth, soft and silent little sounds of pleasure. The beautiful brunet has moaned and gasped for him beforehand, but Erik has never purred so far. Another thing he hadn't discovered until today is how soft the short, tiny hairs on Erik's arms and shoulders are and how it feels when they tickle his wrists, because they have never kissed with their torsos naked. There are goosebumps on Erik's back, and Marco can tell for sure that they have not formed themselves because Erik is freezing.

Marco explores Erik's mouth like he has done countless times, and he is amazed how perfectly they fit together. They have the same height and only need to tilt their heads a little bit, and Erik's tongue is vibrating with his purrs as he circles Marco's tongue with it. Marco could stay like this forever, kiss Erik like this for the rest of his life and he is sure that he wouldn't miss anything if they would only kiss and do nothing else. But, nature demands its right and they have to part to get some air back into their lungs.

“I love you, Erik,” Marco says, gently lowering the younger one onto his bed, and when Erik lies there and looks up at him with uttermost trust in his eyes, he says it again. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mars.” Erik pulls him down until Marco covers him with his own body, searching for his lips again. For a while, they lie like this, kissing and whispering words of love, and Marco is amazed how different it feels to every other encounter he has had with anyone so far. Their private parts are still covered with the cotton of their underwear, and they only hold each other and kiss, but it feels far more intimate than fucking has ever felt, and the desire thrumming in his veins fill every cell of his body instead of only burning in his groin. Marco is rock-hard, and he can feel that Erik is as aroused as he is, but he doesn't feel the need to rush things and head straight to the final 'goal'.

No, their first time together – real first time, because that horrible night doesn't count, at all - is far too precious to rush things, and Marco starts to explore the beauty lying spread out underneath him, kissing Erik's flushed face, his jaw and his throat until he has reached his nipples. His hands stroke every centimeter of warm and fragrant soft skin, and he inhales deeply Erik's wonderful and unique scent in between the kisses. Erik smells perfectly, of fresh air, warm sun and arousal, of maleness and youth and pure Erik, and Marco could spend the rest of his life with just breathing him in.

“I love you. You're so beautiful, handsome, so perfect. I'm crazy for you!” he murmurs against the smooth skin covered with a thin layer of sweat, and Erik is purring for him again, gasping and moaning softly as Marco worships him that thoroughly. Another first time. Erik has been the quiet one of both of them so far, keeping his moans and gasps mostly in, but not today. Today, he lets Marco hear his pleasure, showing him how much he trusts him with that.

“God, yes, Mars, oooohhhh!” he moans, and his moans are sweeter than any other sound Marco has ever heard. “Yes please, moan for me, love. Show me how much you enjoy this!” the blond encourages him, sucking and licking at the hard knobs Erik's nipple have become. His hands have reached the inner sides of Erik's thighs, and his fingertips pull shivers from the young man, shivers of pleasure instead of fear and worries.

Marco kisses his way down until he can bury his face in Erik's worked-out abs, and he does it and inhales his scent again, the smell of male arousal much stronger as close as he is to his intimate parts now. The rosy tip of a curious tongue darts out of its hiding place, teasing the brunet's quivering navel, and his wonderful boyfriend rewards him with one of those sweet noises only he can make, this time a mixture of a strangled cry and a mewl.  
Marco is already addicted to this special sound, and he hopes that Erik will make much more of these sounds until they will both be completely satisfied. Maybe, Erik will mewl for him again if he kisses his legs and his feet?

No sooner said than done, and the blond is traveling down, kissing, stroking and licking each part of Erik's body except for the one still hidden under white garment, and he only stops when he reaches Erik's knee. Marco swallows and strokes with feather-light fingertips over the still visible scar and then, he does the same with his tongue. His mouth is as tender as it has never been before, and when Erik starts to shake underneath him, desperately trying to keep himself from crying, Marco crawls upwards again and takes him in his arms. “It's okay, love, don't fight it, this belongs as much to making love as kissing and stroking.” He rocks him while Erik finally stops fighting and starts to cry, his tears falling on Marco's naked shoulders. The older one rocks him, kissing his hair and waiting patiently until the storm of emotions calms down again and Erik's sobs fade to a silent hiccup.

“I'm sorry,” he mumbles against Marco's wet skin, but his body is relaxed and not tensed, and this proves to Marco that Erik really trusts him and doesn't think that he has ruined their first time with his tears. “Don't be, love. I know how you feel about your knee, believe me, and I am happy that you trust me enough to let me be your shoulder whenever you need me to be.”

Erik sighs and finally lifts his chin to look at him. “Yes, I know that you know that, Mars. Thank you, I feel better now.” He isn't ashamed of his tears, and for Marco, he is even more beautiful with his vulnerability and his trust displaying on his blotchy face. “I love you, Erik,” he says, tenderly kissing his red eyes.

“I want to explore you, too.” Erik turns Marco on his back and starts to kiss and stroke him like the blond has done for him, and he lets him do it, knowing that it is important for Erik to hear him moan and feel him shiver for him. He closes his eyes and focuses on the sensations of tender lips and gentle fingers on his body, exploring his last secrets and arousing him much more with their innocence and their rapt ministration than any skilled caress of one of his former lovers has ever aroused him. Erik's love for him is sensible in each caress and soon, Marco is a moaning and gasping mess, especially when Erik lavishes attention on his ankle. His blood is drumming in his ears and his cock is throbbing with need even though Erik hasn't touched him there so far, and Marco suddenly knows what he wants – what he needs to do.

 

***

 

The love of his life catches Erik by surprise as he suddenly pulls him up and turns him on his back again just when he had been busied with kissing his ankle, and for one moment, Erik tenses up with a short spark of fear shooting through him.

“Hush, love, I would never hurt you! Please trust me,” Marco murmurs at his lips, and when he kisses him, Erik relaxes and returns the passionate kiss with all he has. He eagerly wriggles his hips when Marco pulls at his briefs, craving to be touched where he is aching for Marco's touch so badly. Marco never lets go of his mouth as he gets rid of his own underwear and when he covers him with his body and their cocks brush against each other, both already wet with their arousal, Erik forgets how to breathe for one moment. Marco makes humming sounds of pleasure and contentment deep in his throat while his tongue pushes deep into the soft cavern of Erik's mouth, and his calloused hand wraps itself around their lengths to stroke their cocks together.

“I love you, handsome, I love you so,” he whispers, and all Erik can do is cling to his shoulders and kiss him back with all the longing and love he feels for him. The brunet loses all tracks of time, but just when he feels himself nearing his climax, Marco stops stroking them and raises his head to smile at him.

“It is time for your first time, love,” he says with a wink of his eyes, pulling at the drawer of his nightstand. Erik swallows, anticipation mixed with fear tingling in his belly as he watches Marco taking the lube and the condoms. It is almost like it has been in their first night, the night that turned out to be that horrible, and yet it is different. Different because this time, Marco doesn't want to fuck him, but wants to make love to him. Erik takes a deep breath and tries to turn around, but Marco shakes his head.

“Oh no, you're perfect like this, handsome. Besides, who has said that your first time will be about you bottoming for me? Have you ever topped?” the blond objects, and Erik stares at him with a dropped jaw. “N-no,” he stammers, watching Marco rolling the condom over his throbbing shaft with deft fingers. It is obvious that he has done that before, but Erik is glad that he has some experience when it comes to sex.

Marco winks at him again while he straddles him, taking the lube and lining Erik up. The brunet bites his lips to keep himself from coming right there and then, and he still can't believe that this is truly happening. Whenever he has imagined sleeping with Marco, it was him bottoming for the older one and not the other way around.

Marco chuckles, a breathless sound full of lust and desire, and he bends forward to kiss Erik before he slowly and carefully lowers himself down on his cock, taking Erik's manhood in inch by inch.

Erik's eyes are glued to the breathtaking sight of Marco's flushed and aroused body impaling himself on his hard cock, Marco's impressive member bouncing up and down as he sinks deeper. His forehead frowns for one moment when Erik breaches his tight rosebud, but Marco relaxes again and takes a few deep and slow breaths before moving again. The feeling of tight heat enclosing him more and more is incredible, and Erik's head is spinning with need and ardor. He has to fight against the urge to grab the blond's hips and slam him down, and this is the moment when he finally knows how Marco has felt when he tried to take him. Erik has never felt the all-consuming urge to bury himself into his lover beforehand, but now, he does, and the last shreds of hurt, doubts and fears he had still carried deep inside him vanish and the wound in his soul closes and heals.

Instead, he feels gratitude and understanding, and his love and trust rise to a new level, because Marco must have needed far more strength to resist this urge as he needs now. In that night, Marco was drunken with his first title, filled to the brink with adrenaline and endorphin and yet he didn't force himself upon Erik but stopped before it was too late. Only few men would have been able to do that, but Marco's honorable and kind nature and the love for Erik helped him with that.

“I love you, Marco, I love you so!” he cries out, and he can feel new tears wetting his eyes.

“Love you, too, babe.” Marco has taken his full length and starts to move, rocking up and down and forth and back, his gaze never leaving Erik's face. It feels like heaven, nothing has ever felt so good. Erik's hips move to their own will, his need for release too strong to fight against it. He tries to hold back and wait for Marco, but the blond bends down and pushes his tongue into his sensitive earlobe.

“Don't hold back, Erik. This is all about you, and I want you to show me how much you desire me and just come for me. Can you do that for me?” Marco's hips jerk downwards with his words, and Erik can't deny him his wish and comes with the next thrust, his cock literally exploding as he fills the condom with his seed in heavy spurts.

“Marco!!” he screams, and the blond swallows his cry with his hungry mouth, his arms holding Erik's shaking body until he drops down onto the mattress, spent and sated. Marco dabs soft kisses on his face, waiting patiently for him to recover from his forceful orgasm, and when Erik is able to open his eyes and look at him, he smiles. “I love you, Erik.”

“I love you, Mars. Thank you, it was a wonderful first time,” Erik says, happily, his whole body humming with happiness and satisfaction.

The blond's smile turns mischievous. “The same here,” he remarks, casually and with a short wink.

Erik feels his jaw drop. “Your first time? You've never bottomed before?”

 

***

 

Marco grins from ear to ear. “Nope. I never wanted to. I always wanted to spare myself for the right one.”

Erik is still stunned but then, his eyes start to shoot fire. “Oh, you!” he grouses, not very convincing, and Marco kisses his nose to soothe him. “This was the last important secret I have kept from you, but only to reveal it in the right moment.” He lies down beside Erik after throwing the used condom into the trash bin beside his nightstand.

Erik glances at him from the side, gifting him with an offended look. “If I had known that it was your first time, I would have waited for you!”

“I know. That's why I told you afterwards. I love you, Erik and I care about your pleasure far more than about my own. It was important to me to show you that, love. Plus, I wanted to take the pressure from you that you have to be the one bottoming and that our first time has to be 'perfect' like always described in books and films with both coming at the same time and so on. Our first time was perfect for me because it was you and me making love, and this is the only thing that counts for me.” Marco has become serious, and he strokes the flushed cheek of his boyfriend, tenderly and with all the love he feels for him. “Honestly, Erik, I am happy and fine with everything you can give me, freely and without doubts and fears. And if you'll never be able to bottom for me, then I am perfectly fine with that, as well.”

The angry fire in Erik's eyes turns into the softer sparks of love and passion. “Thank you, Marco. For your trust and for showing me that 'perfect' is nothing 'fixed' but something everybody has to define for themselves. You were right, my head was filled with all the images of how a perfect first time should be others have created. You showed me what is really important. But, I really want you to be as happy and satisfied as I am thanks to your selflessness, and I am ready for you being my first man in the real sense of the meaning. I know that you love me and that you really care about me, and I want to be as close to you as two people only can be and to feel you deep inside me. Please, Marco, let my dream come true and show me how wonderful it is when you're making love to me for the first time.”

 

***

 

His wonderful boyfriend has prepared him with uttermost care and patience, making sure that this time, Erik will feel as little pain by the first intrusion as possible, and he has kissed him the entire time while he has gently opened him with his fingers. Marco's breath has grazed over his cheeks when has drawn back from his lips for a few seconds to tell him how much he loves him and how beautiful and desirable he is, and his eyes have been full of love and adoration every time Marco has raised his head to look at him.

Erik is sure that no other young man has ever be prepared for his first time with so much love and devotion like Marco has prepared him.

This time, it won't be like the last time, at all. This time, it won't hurt and it will be wonderful and perfect. Because this time, Marco won't try to fuck him. No, this time, he will make love to him. Love makes the difference between that fateful night and today, and the power of their love has healed their wounds and helped them to overcome their doubts and fears and start anew.

This time, Erik is craving for it with every fiber of his entire being, needing to become one with Marco as much as Marco needs it.

The brunet lies on his back and Marco kisses him and holds him while he tenderly pushes into him. It burns a little bit, but the sensation of being so close to Marco, of finally really feeling him inside his secret core erases every discomfort, and the slight burning only adds to the pleasure washing over Erik as Marco sinks deeper and deeper into his tight, virgin passage.

Erik moans and trembles, but they are signs of his passion and lust and not signs of pain. His arms pull Marco closer and his hips arch into their embrace, because it is still not deep enough, still not close enough. “I need you, Mars, I need to feel you deeper!” he begs, and Marco kisses him, passionately and presses him into the mattress until he is buried to the hilt inside him and not one single sheet of paper would fit between their connected bodies.

“I love you, Erik. More than life itself.” Marco's voice is raw and hoarse with love and emotion, and Erik searches blindly for his lips. They kiss and Marco finally starts to move, his thrusts more tender than Erik could ever have imagined.

“I will make it perfect for you, babe, I promise you,” he whispers, and Erik smiles up at him. “It is perfect, Marco. It is perfect because it is you and me. You don't have to do anything to make it more perfect, because you loving me is all I need for that.”

Marco's adorable crooked grin curls his mouth as he shrugs helplessly his shoulders, his hips never stopping their soft, rolling movements. “I am hopelessly romantic, Erik. I want it to be like in the books and movies, you and me coming together and seeing stars exploding before our eyes.”

Erik tries to snicker, but it ends in a breathless moan. “Then just keep doing what you're doing and you will succeed with that!” he gasps, because Marco has brushed over his sweet spot with his cock for the first time. He had found it with his fingers, easily, but being stimulated by Marco's rock-hard cock there is miles better, and Erik shivers with the next hit against it.

Why the heck has he waited so long for this?

“Because you wanted to be loved and not just fucked, handsome.” Marco snakes his hand between their sweat-slick bodies. His thoughts must have been visible on his face the blond is watching, because Erik has no breath left to form proper sentences, especially not with warm and very skilled fingers stroking up and down on his aching cock in the rhythm of Marco's tender thrusts. The older one is moving faster now, chasing his own height, but he is still tender and gentle, and Erik can feel the heat of his second orgasm within one hour licking at the end of his spine. He will come within the next few thrusts, and he can feel that Marco is as close as he is, his member pushing into him again and again harder and thicker than ever. Marco's face is suffused with lust and passion, and God, this man is gorgeous in his arousal, the most beautiful sight Erik has ever seen. Much more beautiful than any golden or silver cup or medal.

“I love you, Marco.” Erik knows that Marco can see his own passion and lust in his eyes and he wants him to see all of his emotions, he wants Marco to know how much he pleasures him this time.

“I love you, Erik. Come with me, come together with me and let our first time be the most perfect time Earth has ever seen,” Marco says, and when Erik feels his cock twitching deep inside him with the first wave of Marco's orgasm, he comes again, his ecstasy and pleasure far more intense than ever before. Marco's cock massaging his walls, filling the emptiness inside him makes him come harder than he has ever come in his entire life, and he explodes in his warm hand, shooting his release between their bellies and all over Marco's fingers.

Time stands still while they cling to each other, savoring their shared ecstasy to the fullest, and when the hot waves of pure bliss subside to the softer ones of the warm afterglow, Marco buries his face on Erik's shoulder and presses him as close as he is able to.

Erik kisses his neck and strokes his back, his mouth hurting from the broad smile of happiness. “Did you see stars?” he jokes, because he needs a valve for all the emotions coursing through him.

“Nope.” Marco shakes his head still pressed against Erik's shoulder, his hair tickling Erik's sensitive skin. The younger one lets out an indignant squeal “Not? How can you say that?” he squeaks, and Marco's snicker brushing over his skin makes him wriggle and squirm. “No stars, but entire galaxies. A whole bundle of them.”

Can someone die because of happiness and bliss? Because Erik feels like this right now. “That good?”

Another shake of Marco's head. “Nope. Better. Much better than good. Incredible. Indescribable.” Finally, he lifts his head up. His hair is totally ruffled and tousled, his lips are swollen and his skin is red from the slight stubble where Erik has scratched him. Marco's eyes are still blown and Erik swears that his boyfriend has never looked sexier in his entire life.

“Better than any film, book or any other first time, Erik.” Marco kisses his nose. “And you? At least one sun?” he pleads, and Erik melts like ice in the sunshine when he sees the love in his wonderful boyfriend's eyes.

“At least one entire universe, Marco,” he assures him, gently and sincerely. “The best first time Earth has ever seen, I'm sure about that. Can we do that again?”

Marco's eyes become as big and round as saucers. “Now?!” he asks, incredulously.

Erik chuckles. “No, not now, silly. But maybe soon?” As impossible as it seems, but his cock actually stirs, and Marco's eyes become dark again.

“I think that this can be arranged.” He kisses Erik, and Erik closes his eyes and kisses him back.

“I love you, Marco,” he says when they part, knowing that after this day, he will never think back of the night when he thought that his life had come to an end. This night belongs to his past, an Erik has finally gotten over it.

“I love you, too, Erik. I cannot promise you that I will never hurt you again, but I can promise you that I will always love you.” Marco's voice is as sincere as his has been, and Erik knows without a doubt that this is the truth.

Their love has been strong enough to overcome their fears and hurt feelings, and the power of their love has healed their wounds and helped them to make a new start. They might hurt each other again in the future, but as long as they love each other, there will always be a second chance, because the power of love is the greatest power of all and can overcome everything.

The young man pulls his boyfriend in for another loving kiss to seal their bond, and when he feels Marco's soft lips upon his own, he remembers the lines his parents had chosen as their quote on their wedding day and which describes their own journey from that fateful night after Marco's first title up to this wonderful Sunday afternoon so perfectly, as well:

_'But now we still have hope, faith, love, these three, and the greatest of these is love.'_

 

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last line of my fic was my and my husband's quote on our wedding, as well. It was also the quote my mother chose for my father's funeral. I thought that it also fits under 'Loss of innocence' and this story, as well. It is the last line of: I Corinthians 13:13. The German translation I grew up with is:
> 
> Nun aber bleibt Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe, diese drei; aber die Liebe ist die größte unter ihnen.


End file.
